Updated 2026-07-21 15:43:55
Lake Huron -> 1.0 Salmonine (Salmon and Trout) -> Lake Trout Stocking
Reporting Interval
2018 - 2022
Area
Lakewide
Meeting Target?
Does Not Meet
Indicator Trend
Downward trend
Confidence?
High
1.2.1. Lake Trout Stocking
Fish community objectives for Lake Huron call for continued measurable progress towards rehabilitation of Lake Trout, which were decimated by overharvest and Sea Lamprey predation. Lake Trout restoration efforts have relied on stocking of hatchery-reared fish, so the history of stocking is important to understanding progress towards Lake Trout restoration in Lake Huron.
Initiation of Lake Trout stocking and the distribution of stocking effort in Lake Huron varied by basin. Stocking in the main basin began much earlier in Michigan than in Ontario waters (1973 vs. 1991), and during the period 1995-2014 numbers of fish planted in the main basin was on average four times higher in Michigan than in Ontario waters (Figure 1). Evidence suggested that wild-produced fish were contributing significantly to northern main basin stocks by the early 2010s, so stocking in Ontario main basin waters was discontinued in 2015, and approximately halved in Michigan waters in 2018 (Figure 1).
Significant stocking efforts did not occur in the North Channel and Georgian Bay until 1992, nearly two decades later than those in the main basin (Figure 1). The North Channel has less deep-water habitat and fewer areas designated as rehabilitation zones than Georgian Bay, so more Lake Trout have been planted in Georgian Bay than in the North Channel.
Recovery of Lake Trout stocks in the North Channel and Georgian bay is lagging recovery in the main basin, so stocking will continue until rehabilitation is achieved at the lake-wide scale. Future stocking rates are likely to be less than peak levels, but Lake Huron fishery managers regularly review stocking strategies to ensure continued progress towards Lake Trout rehabilitation milestones.
Figure 1. Stocking rate of pure-strain Lake Trout in Lake Huron by lake basin/area and year.
Methodology
Stocking data for Lake Huron were obtained from the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission (GLFC) fish stocking database in December 2025 and are presented as yearling equivalents. Most Lake Trout are stocked as spring yearlings; however, many different stages have been stocked over time, including eggs and fall fingerlings. Numbers for other stages are converted to yearling equivalents within the Great Lakes database.
Other Resources
DesJardine, R. L., Gorenflo, T.K., Payne, R.N., and Schrouder, J.D. 1995. Fish-community objectives for Lake Huron. Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Special Publication 95-1. 38 p.
Ebener, M. P. [ED.]. 1998. A lake trout rehabilitation guide for Lake Huron. Great Lakes Fishery Commission. 48 p.
Eshenroder, R. L., and Koonce J. F. 1984. Recommendations for Standardizing the Reporting of Sea Lamprey Marking Data: A Report from the Ad Hoc Committee. Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Special Publication 84-1.
Great Lakes Fisheries Commission On-line portal: http://fsis.glfc.org/api/v1/stocking/events_xlsx/?lake=HU&species=LAT,LTX,SPE
He, J.X., Ebener, M.P., Riley, S.C., Cottrill, A., Kowalski, A., Koproski, S., Mohr, L., and Johnson, J. E. 2012. Lake trout status in the main basin of Lake Huron, 1973–2010. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 32: 402–412.
He, J.X., Bence, J.R., Madenjian, C.P., Pothoven, S.A., Dobiesz, N.E., Fielder, D.G., Johnson, J.E., Ebener, M.P., Cottrill, R.A., Mohr, L.C., and Koproski, S.R. 2015. Coupling age-structured stock assessment and fish bioenergetics models: a system of time-varying models for quantifying piscivory patterns during the rapid trophic shift in the main basin of Lake Huron. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 72: 7-23.
Johnson, J. E., He, J. X., and Fielder, D. G., 2015. Rehabilitation stocking of walleyes and lake trout: restoration of reproducing stocks in Michigan waters of Lake Huron. North American Journal of Aquaculture 77: 396-408.
Madenjian, C. P., Desorcie, T.J., and Stedman, R.M. 1998. Maturity schedules of lake trout in Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research 24, 404-410.
Robinson, Kelly F., Scott M. Miehls, and Michael J. Siefkes. 2021. Understanding sea lamprey abundances in the Great Lakes prior to broad implementation of sea lamprey control. Journal of Great Lakes Research 47:S328–S334
Contributing Author(s)
- Ji He - Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Scott Koenigbauer - United States Fish and Wildlife Service
- Chris Davis, Stephen James & Trent Francis - Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
- Tim O'Brien, Steve Farha, & Robin Debruyne - United States Geological Survey